Life After RAF
Cunning Artificer
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: The spiritual home of DeHavilland
Age: 76
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Think of CSDE at Swanton Morley. Defence Standards, Reliability, Modifications, schedule development - that sort of thing.
Military experience in this area is not worth much as, although the technical aspects of the work are similar, the key difference between civil and military lies in the rules and regulations.
An AME licence isn't so much a technical qualification as a certificate that the holder knows the civil certification processes and is competent to apply them. Technical Services people aren't necessarily licence holders (though many are) but to be on an equivalent salary to the LAE they need to hold approvals too - for example to produce a repair scheme beyond the SRM, a Technical Services or Development Engineer must be an approved person working under their employer's CAA design approval.
So, the end game is that you have to be prepared to gain the required civil experience, do the exams and advance under your own merit. In my own case I only worked as an unlicensed 'tradesman' for a year and a half before I was licensed and approved, certifying my own and others work on B747s and B707s. It was a substantial reduction in pay and I needed a second job as a mini-cab driver to make ends meet for two years, but I consider the effort was worth it.
Good Luck with your future career - you're on the right track and asking the right questions
- what is "Tech Serv's"
Military experience in this area is not worth much as, although the technical aspects of the work are similar, the key difference between civil and military lies in the rules and regulations.
An AME licence isn't so much a technical qualification as a certificate that the holder knows the civil certification processes and is competent to apply them. Technical Services people aren't necessarily licence holders (though many are) but to be on an equivalent salary to the LAE they need to hold approvals too - for example to produce a repair scheme beyond the SRM, a Technical Services or Development Engineer must be an approved person working under their employer's CAA design approval.
So, the end game is that you have to be prepared to gain the required civil experience, do the exams and advance under your own merit. In my own case I only worked as an unlicensed 'tradesman' for a year and a half before I was licensed and approved, certifying my own and others work on B747s and B707s. It was a substantial reduction in pay and I needed a second job as a mini-cab driver to make ends meet for two years, but I consider the effort was worth it.
Good Luck with your future career - you're on the right track and asking the right questions
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Balmullo,Scotland
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I left the RAF in 1989,got licensed and at one time held 11 JAR 145 autorisations I now work for the Worlds largest Aircraft manufacturer and no longer hold any authorisations My basic pay (40 hrs) is €51 per hour or about 35GBP equating to an annual income of 72,800 pds.And I now work in the Engineering Dept of the aforementioned manufacturer.
Good luck
Good luck
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: UK
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OK new tack…I have been looking at a certain southern French Aviation Co. and wandering
1. what the possibilities of getting in to this Co. are?
2. I hear Sevilla is ramping up to produce our next trash hauler, how about there?
3. or do youhave to work out of Filton for a while?
After talking to the little lady she is quite sold on the idea of growing grapes and drinking wine for a living but what are the conditions like out there and how will our exp/quals equate in a Co. like this? and how do you get there?
Matkat – can you define your engineering department work any more?
1. what the possibilities of getting in to this Co. are?
2. I hear Sevilla is ramping up to produce our next trash hauler, how about there?
3. or do youhave to work out of Filton for a while?
After talking to the little lady she is quite sold on the idea of growing grapes and drinking wine for a living but what are the conditions like out there and how will our exp/quals equate in a Co. like this? and how do you get there?
Matkat – can you define your engineering department work any more?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Brize Norton
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Thanks for the replies, one more question though
Do any airlines still fly Tristar's, and will it mean anything to any employers that i have almost 5 years experiance on the airframe?
Do any airlines still fly Tristar's, and will it mean anything to any employers that i have almost 5 years experiance on the airframe?
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: By my keyboard
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Carl.
first visit to this site and have just glanced through the topic.
I am ex-RAF and enjoy working for a civil airline.
THINK POSITIVE - You do not have 5 years experience of Tristar Airframes, you have 5 years experience of maintaining large civil aircraft. My experience of the job market is that you CV must sell yourself and you capabilities, not just what you have done.
Companies want things for nothing so make sure you CV has things they want. rember it is how you sell yourself that gets you the job. Your atitude must be I am the man for the job. They will pick up on this and it may make the difference between getting a job or just missing out.
Good Luck.
first visit to this site and have just glanced through the topic.
I am ex-RAF and enjoy working for a civil airline.
THINK POSITIVE - You do not have 5 years experience of Tristar Airframes, you have 5 years experience of maintaining large civil aircraft. My experience of the job market is that you CV must sell yourself and you capabilities, not just what you have done.
Companies want things for nothing so make sure you CV has things they want. rember it is how you sell yourself that gets you the job. Your atitude must be I am the man for the job. They will pick up on this and it may make the difference between getting a job or just missing out.
Good Luck.
